| Postpartum Recovery |
Leah Lange
 | Married 35 years | |
| 11 children | |
| 16 grandchildren | |
| Healthy Postpartum Recovery Survival tips from a mom who's gone through postpartum recovery eleven times! |
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| Rivka, age 27 |
| Moshe, age 29 |
| Hadassa, age 7 |
| Shmuel, age 18 |
| Chana, age 16 |
| Miriam, age 32 |
| Devora, age 13 |
| Rachel, age 25 |
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| Tova, age 23 |
Then and Now
Once upon a time, long ago…. New mothers spent two weeks in bed,
eating hot, nourishing meals, with a mother or nanny to help with
the sleepless nights. Dr. Spock had not published a rule book and
the wisdom of mothering was handed down from generation to
generation. Now, new moms are lucky to get 24 hours in the
hospital and return home to the responsibilities of jobs, carpools,
groceries and the care of a newborn. Most of us live miles away from
our families and have no one to help us adjust to our new role as a
mother. No wonder we feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and
emotionally drained!
Once upon a time, long ago…. New mothers spent two weeks in bed,
eating hot, nourishing meals, with a mother or nanny to help with
the sleepless nights. Dr. Spock had not published a rule book and
the wisdom of mothering was handed down from generation to
generation. Now, new moms are lucky to get 24 hours in the
hospital and return home to the responsibilities of jobs, carpools,
groceries and the care of a newborn. Most of us live miles away from
our families and have no one to help us adjust to our new role as a
mother. No wonder we feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and
emotionally drained!
I Thought I Could Handle It
As a mother of eleven children, I have experienced all of these
symptoms of postpartum stress, as well as the more physical
aspects of birth. Even opening a can of tuna fish seemed like an
insurmountable hurdle, not to mention the full laundry hampers!
Somehow, I blearily recall that my husband and I stumbled through
the first 3 months until the baby settled into a schedule. I thought I
knew all the tricks in the motherhood book until……
Until #11 - the Birth from Hell
NUMBER ELEVEN!!! Since I was almost 49 years old, my midwife was
a little worried about this birth and felt a doctor should be involved at
the hospital. Little did I know, this would be the “Birth from Hell”. I
was admitted on Sunday, May 12th, 2002 for an induction due to my
age, past due date, and hypertension. The pitocin drip was inserted
and I remained on the IV all day with contractions but no dilation. At
8 p.m. the nurse disconnected me and served me dinner. (No food
or drink is permitted for a patient on pitocin ). The following
morning, I was again placed on pitocin with no results. This
continued until Wednesday morning, when I was told I had to give
birth that day to avoid serious consequences to the baby. This time,
along with the pitocin I had the “water” bag broken to speed up the
labor. There was now a second IV added to administer a glucose
solution so I wouldn’t dehydrate. Every few hours, the nurse would
enter and increase the pitocin. By 10 p.m. that night, the
contractions were unbearable. By 1 a.m. I was begging for an
epidural which I’d never had with any of the other births. Finally,
they sent up an anesthesiologist to do the epidural. It gave me a
half hour to recover and push the baby out. Now comes the story of
my recovery.
I left the hospital a day and a half later, a broken woman. My feet
were swollen to the size of footballs from all the glucose solution that
was pumped into me. The pressure of the swelling in my legs caused
phlebitis to develop. The constant presence of the IV had left bruises
all over my arms. The medication to contract my uterus after birth
had raised my blood pressure and to top the list, I had to return to
the hospital because I developed a nasty uterine infection that
required strong antibiotics. With this lovely welcome home, I still had
to nurse a demanding sleepless newborn, and worry about the five
other kids still at home!
How I Survived and Bounced Back
Quicker Than Expected
There are only two reasons I know that saved my health and my
sanity. My husband’s love and his stubborn tenacity to shove as
much blue green algae down my throat as possible, three times a
day! Without his emotional support and the nutritional support I
received every day, I would have been postmortem, not just
postpartum! Within four weeks after the “Birth from Hell” I was fully
recovered and pronounced ”back to normal” at the doctor’s check-
up. That was about 2 months earlier than any of my other birthing
experiences. Truly this was a miracle for which I am eternally
grateful. You can understand I want to share my experience with
every new mother I meet.
As a mother of eleven children, I have experienced all of these
symptoms of postpartum stress, as well as the more physical
aspects of birth. Even opening a can of tuna fish seemed like an
insurmountable hurdle, not to mention the full laundry hampers!
Somehow, I blearily recall that my husband and I stumbled through
the first 3 months until the baby settled into a schedule. I thought I
knew all the tricks in the motherhood book until……
Until #11 - the Birth from Hell
NUMBER ELEVEN!!! Since I was almost 49 years old, my midwife was
a little worried about this birth and felt a doctor should be involved at
the hospital. Little did I know, this would be the “Birth from Hell”. I
was admitted on Sunday, May 12th, 2002 for an induction due to my
age, past due date, and hypertension. The pitocin drip was inserted
and I remained on the IV all day with contractions but no dilation. At
8 p.m. the nurse disconnected me and served me dinner. (No food
or drink is permitted for a patient on pitocin ). The following
morning, I was again placed on pitocin with no results. This
continued until Wednesday morning, when I was told I had to give
birth that day to avoid serious consequences to the baby. This time,
along with the pitocin I had the “water” bag broken to speed up the
labor. There was now a second IV added to administer a glucose
solution so I wouldn’t dehydrate. Every few hours, the nurse would
enter and increase the pitocin. By 10 p.m. that night, the
contractions were unbearable. By 1 a.m. I was begging for an
epidural which I’d never had with any of the other births. Finally,
they sent up an anesthesiologist to do the epidural. It gave me a
half hour to recover and push the baby out. Now comes the story of
my recovery.
I left the hospital a day and a half later, a broken woman. My feet
were swollen to the size of footballs from all the glucose solution that
was pumped into me. The pressure of the swelling in my legs caused
phlebitis to develop. The constant presence of the IV had left bruises
all over my arms. The medication to contract my uterus after birth
had raised my blood pressure and to top the list, I had to return to
the hospital because I developed a nasty uterine infection that
required strong antibiotics. With this lovely welcome home, I still had
to nurse a demanding sleepless newborn, and worry about the five
other kids still at home!
How I Survived and Bounced Back
Quicker Than Expected
There are only two reasons I know that saved my health and my
sanity. My husband’s love and his stubborn tenacity to shove as
much blue green algae down my throat as possible, three times a
day! Without his emotional support and the nutritional support I
received every day, I would have been postmortem, not just
postpartum! Within four weeks after the “Birth from Hell” I was fully
recovered and pronounced ”back to normal” at the doctor’s check-
up. That was about 2 months earlier than any of my other birthing
experiences. Truly this was a miracle for which I am eternally
grateful. You can understand I want to share my experience with
every new mother I meet.
Sarah, age 34
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| Noson, age 20 |